A Few Pictures from Outside our House

Springtime means some outdoor work. Allie and Rachel "helped" us outside.

They really love playing with rocks.

We had a nest near our front door on a rain gutter.

And it had an egg in it!

Our clematis bloomed. This is the first one. The whole bush is incredible when it is in bloom. 

Allie picked out a birdhouse to paint at Hobby Lobby with her birthday money. Daddy put it up on the fence. Allie was so excited when this bird visited it. She was sad that it didn't end up making its home here, but she decided her birdhouse was more like a bird hotel.

The girls and I were playing with sidewalk chalk in the front of the house one day, when we noticed this bird sitting in the grass right next to our walkway. It's a Purple Martin, and he didn't seem to be scared by us at all. I was able to get within a few feet to take his picture.

My mom loves having hanging flower pots by her front door. We had chains to hang some, so we got three for the front of the house. It made me so happy to get some pretty flowers out there.

We have quite a few Cardinals in the area. There weren't Cardinals where I grew up. The only Cardinals I saw in Seattle were the visiting baseball players from St. Louis.

Razorfest 2014

Living near the University of Arkansas (it's in the neighboring city of Fayetteville), there are some fun activities for kids. One is Razorfest. There are a lot of inflatables for the kids to enjoy, as well as some other activities. There is a free Red-White scrimmage football game that people can attend, too. We didn't end up staying for the game, but the girls had fun with the other activities.

Piggy Races (We didn't win.)

A very sweet Miriam

Easter 2014

We had a good Easter. Our ward had an Easter activity with an egg hunt. Unfortunately, Rachel wasn't feeling well, so Daddy only took Allie. Allie had a fun time, overall. She really enjoyed the egg hunt.

There was also an "Easter bunny" there for the kids to pet. Allie really liked the bunny.

When Allie and Daddy got home, I asked Jared if Allie had had fun. He said that he thought so, but that at some point she started hanging around him instead of the other kids. I thought that was odd. I then asked Allie, when it was just me and her, if she had had fun. She said, "Yes, but some kids laughed at me." I tried to figure out when or what she might be referring to. She said it was when they were playing a racing game. When I saw the pictures from the relay race, I figured out what happened.

In line with her team for the relay race.

Running with her egg on the spoon. Amazingly, it didn't fall off once.

I asked Allie if other kids had held the egg like she had. She said that other little kids did. So it turns out that people were laughing at the little kids for running and holding their egg on the spoon. People weren't laughing at only Allie. I then explained that to her. She seemed to understand a little, though she was still sensitive about it. She really is sensitive.

The Easter Bunny was good to our little family. 

Allie's Basket with a Note to Remember Christ

Rachel's Basket with a Note to Remember Christ

Miriam's Basket

Mom and Dad's Makeshift Basket

Buddy's Treats

Everything Laid Out

The girls were really excited to go out and see their goodies.

They first looked at their pajamas. 

Here are some videos from the girls going through their baskets.

There is a lot of laughter as they discovered what this chicken did.

This one is bit longer.

After going through the baskets, we made resurrection rolls and talked about the meaning of Easter.

Miriam with Easter cards around her.

She got an owl snuggly from the Easter Bunny.

The note from the Easter Bunny also said what color of eggs each girl needed to find. Here's a few videos from their egg hunt.

And Allie helped Rachel.

Allie made a pattern with her eggs.

We colored eggs.

The girls wore their pajamas to bed.